The Washington critic., 1887-02-07
"a POPuLAR DELIsION.,, :,

This bit Of moraizlng by our esteemed
contemporary, The WASHINGTON CRtriC,
doubtless expresses q wide public sentiment;
at Is to be deplorcd that after all the at.
tempted legislation OF Congress toward har'
munizing the relations of labor and capital,
not hill has been introduced nor an act
passed that helps to solve the problem
1t may be deplorable, but the members OF
Congress, collectively or Individually, are
not responsible for such a failure. bill to
solve the problem does not exist, either In
the human mind or In the possibilities OF
things New York sun.
This makes the matter more deplor.
able still The fact that Congress dts
done nothing towards the calculation
of the labor problem, being supple.
mentcd by the further fact that it never
can do anything in this behalf, why
may not the Labor Committees of Sen.
ate and House dl,baud nr be Mt least
discharged from all future consilera.
,ion of hopelessly impractlctblc sub
ject?
If the sun means by the solution of
the problem perfect adjustment of the
relations between employer aud en-
ploye, or so nearly perfect adjustment
that their relations may never become
disiointcd, or even unComfortably
strained, it is doubtless true that the
legislation necessary to such results
teyond the capacity or conception Of
Congress-therefore that Congress Is
lot responsible for failing to effect i'm
possibilities.
On the other hand We are not al.
together prepared to admit that o
widely prevalent belief In the power
of legislation to settle controversies aud
forestall all violent contentious relative
to the hours and wages of labor. is the
popular delusion, which our New
York contemporary gives us to under.
stand 1t is.
We have no great faith in schemes
for the arbitration of difficulties by
Congressional enactment, simply be-
cause voluntary arbitration needs no
law, and compulsory arbitration, besides
being something of a misnomer, i'm.
plies power which Congress may not
Consiitutionally possess or eXpediently
exercise, but 1t will not be disputed
that in the general exercise of its leg
islative functions for the benefit of the
people at large, much can be done
toward alleviating the burdens of the
working classes and eralicating
sources of public discomfort.
There has been no lack Of legislation
in the interest of capital; is it not pos
sible that there should be legislation
in the interest Of the capitalization of
labor? Is there nothing to be done for
industrial education, for the improve
ment of our factory systcm, for the en-.
couragemert of voluntary measures
of concilialion, which Congress may
not directly enact? What Of the re.
duction of taxation, the establishment
of postal savings lanks, the rescue Of
the public domain from its wholesale
plunderers, the Increased efficiency of
the Bureau of Labor?
Whatever tends TO the ameloratiou
of the condition OF the geworkers
of the country tends to the more salts.
factory and harmonious relations Of
labor and capital; and it Is not pop.
ular delusion' that concerning legisla.
tion TO this end the hands of Congress
are tied. 1t still remains a "deplora-
bic" fact that so little has been done
not to change the immutable laws of
supply and demand or fundamental
principles of trade-but to mitigate the
evils growing out of the encroach.
mon,s of corporate power, false sys'
tens of economy and notorious favor.
itlsm in the interest of monopoles.
SECRETARY MANNING Is evidently OF
the belief that Canada belongs to the
American Republic by community OF
interest and civilization, and will
sooner or later come In on manifest
destiny principles. In his letter tc
Congress submitting his substitute
Retaliation bill he becomes quite elo
quent on this subject, and says:
1t Is much to be regretted that melipva
tarin laws, like that cruel legacy of wal
which still encumbers the statute books o.
the United States, or a medieval non-lnter
course policy like that of the Dominion o
Canada, approved by the Queen In council OF
the threshold OF her Majesty's jubilee year
should be the divided disgrace of our common
civilization. Both are obstacles TO that en-
larging freer intercourse among the heirs, bl
n kindred blood, OF one great heritage Of 80
oial order, language laws and 1ly liberty
which is leading here and promoting every
where, from century to century, the increls
ing progress Of the human race.
Mr.. Manning looks upon 'lhe 4Otl
parallel of latitude, with the geograph
ical boundary of the five grea
lakes and their river, market
by suspicious revenue officers ant
hostile Custom. Houses" as an un
natural line of separation, and he /
confident that finally these nov
divided peoples, discordant or diyidet
by political lines, but kindred b.
every Tie that ever has united men o
founded States, will one day merg
their majestic empires.
THE Baltimore Amoricaa this morn
ing contains long letter from William
G. Carroll, late major of the Thirteent
Illinois Cavalry, in which the write
strongly discredits the recently put
Iished statements of General Boynto
concerning General Grants intemperat
habits. 1t is question of ancient hi
tory that is scarcely worthy Of discu
sion. There was q period in the earl
part of the war when Grant drank
good deal more than was good for hin
but as he gradually came to realize thi
he was man of some consequence
with bigger future before him tina
entered into his Imagination at the oul
sci. he hepan 10 Let I'D on his potatlons